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Finalists Announced for Division I Jack Nicklaus Award

Friday, 23 May 2014 13:21

HUTCHINSON, Kan. – Five finalists have been named for the 2014 Division I Jack Nicklaus National Player of the Year Award. Patrick Rodgers and Cameron Wilson of Stanford, Georgia Tech’s Ollie Schniederjans and Alabama’s Robby Shelton and Bobby Wyatt are finalists for the honor that will be presented by Jack Nicklaus at a ceremony during the final round of the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Insurance at Muirfield Village Golf Club. Nicklaus, a Big Ten and NCAA Champion at The Ohio State University, helped inspire and create the Jack Nicklaus Awards in 1988.

Rodgers has six collegiate victories in 2013-14 to tie Tiger Woods’ all-time Stanford record for career wins (11). In his last six events, Rodgers has five wins and a runner-up finish. His season victories have come at the Erin Hills Invitational, The Goodwin, Southern Highlands Collegiate Masters, The Prestige, Pac-12 Championships and NCAA Eugene Regional. The Pac-12 Player of the Year, Rodgers boasts nine top-10 finishes and a stroke average of 69.41. He also won the Ben Hogan Award.

Schniederjans was named ACC Player of the Year by a vote of the ACC coaches and made the All-ACC team for the second time. He also has been named to the United States team for the Palmer Cup and was one of three finalists forthe Ben Hogan Award. Schniederjans has won or shared individual titles in five tournaments this year, most recently at the ACC Championship, which makes him the only Tech player ever to win five times in one year.

Shelton was named the 2014 SEC Player of the Year and SEC Freshman of the Year. The first team All-SEC selection was also named to the United States Palmer Cup team. Shelton has seven top-five finishes in 11 events, including three first-place showings at the Olympia Fields Fighting Illini Invitational, the Puerto Rico Classic and the Linger Longer. He has not finished lower than 17th this season.

Wilson corralled his first two collegiate wins this season, opening the campaign with a victory at the Olympia Fields Fighting Illini Invitational and then taking medalist honors at the Western Intercollegiate this spring. For the year, he placed among the top 15 in all 11 events, with seven of those finishes in the top five. The first-team All-Pac-12 selection helped lead Stanford to its first conference title in two decades. He was a finalist for the Byron Nelson and Ben Hogan Awards.

Wyatt Captured his first career victory with a historic performance at the SEC Championship when he posted a school and SEC Championship record 18-under 192 at the Sea Island Golf Club’s Seaside Course. He has nine top-10 finishes in 12 events this season. Wyatt was a first team All-SEC selection, becoming the fourth player in school history to earn that recognition three times.